Trapital Dan Runcie

Let's dive deep into the world of A24, the film studio known for its distinctive approach to storytelling. We explore A24’s journey from a savvy film distributor to a powerhouse production studio with hits like "Moonlight" and "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once."
But A24 faces some headwinds: big investments with higher expectations, a string of underperforming releases, and pressure to expand to bigger budget IP.
How can the brand known for its mystique be able to maintain its unique positioning?
I'm joined by friend of the pod, Dr. Marcus Collins, to break it all down.

Make sure you listen for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week!

The biggest stars in the world, like Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake, have all the leverage to go independent, but they continue to work with the major labels. A big reason why is that they sign licensing deals. These deals have shifted over time, and become much more artists friendly, especially for the superstars in the streaming era.
We break down the different types of deals, how they’ve shifted over time, and unique case studies like Brent Faiyaz, Kanye West, and more.
I’m joined by Brian “Z” Zisook from Audiomack, who is a wealth of knowledge on this topic.

This episode is brought to you by EVEN. Buy the art from the artist. Learn more at https://get.even.biz/trapital

This episode is also brought to you by SymphonyOS, the marketing platform for today’s creative businesses. Learn more at https://symphony.to/trapital

Make sure you listen for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week!

The market is booming for generative music. Suno raised $125M and Udio has raised over $10M. The tools are impressive, but they raise some important questions:

What data are these products trained on?Are startups in music incentivized to ask for permission?Is this what 'IG for music' looks like?Are these products or features?
I'm joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. Hope you enjoy listening.
Make sure you listen to our Chartmetric stat of the episode!

NPR Tiny Desk is 15 years old and arguably stronger than ever. It helped Usher perform at the Super Bowl. It helped Tank and the Bangas break through to a Grammy nomination. And it elevated the perception of artists like T-Pain and Mac Miller.
But how does Tiny Desk maintain its influence? Any company can host a stripped-down acoustic series for artists to perform in their office. But even if they did, it wouldn't hit the same.
In this episode, we break down the dynamics that make Tiny Desk work, the tradeoffs that the show balances, how it maintains its status over time, and what the future may hold.
Listen to me and Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research break it all down.

Make sure you listen to our Chartmetric stat of the episode.

The list of brands that Penske Media Corporation owns or has invested in is long: Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, Deadline, and dozens more.
What's Penske's long game? Are these companies better off? Where would these companies be without Penske? Which companies are most likely next?
To break it all down, I'm joined by Bill Werde, former Billboard editorial director, author of Full Rate No Cap, and the Director of Bandier Program of Recording and Entertainment and Syracuse’s Newhouse School.

This episode is brought to you by 4se New York, where sports and entertainment come alive.
Make sure you check out our Chartmetric stat of the episode.

While Drake and Kendrick Lamar trade diss tracks back and forth, we decided to dig into the engine that makes it all possible. How has rap beef evolved in the streaming era and social media? Do the stakes still matter? Who makes money from these beef? How does this impact hip-hop's "decline"?
I'm joined by BrandMan Sean, our friend of the pod who had a lot to say about this. Listen here or wherever you get podcasts!

Make sure you listen to our Chartmetric stat of the week.